Chapter 1819 — Old Matters of the Past
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"Miss Tang, hush..." Elder Zhang was startled, and said with a bitter smile, "Miss Tang, the Art of Heartlessness is the heart-art oral formula created by our founding patriarch. It is the supreme treasure of our Snow Valley. Though you are one whom the Grand Elder holds in esteem, speaking so recklessly will inevitably invite punishment..."
"The founding patriarch?" Tang Zhi was startled. "You mean... the one with the same constitution as mine?"
"Yes!" Elder Zhang nodded. "The founding patriarch came to enlightenment here and received the inheritance; she discovered the ancient ruins, and combining the heart-art oral formulas left behind in those ruins, she created the Art of Heartlessness herself. It must be said, the founding patriarch was a formidable person—with only early Yellow-rank strength, she actually founded an ancient sect..."
"Truly extraordinary!" Hearing of this great deed, Tang Zhi could not help but admire her. She asked herself: though she had the same constitution, in a foreign place she could never have created such a formidable heart-art formula. Yet one thing puzzled her: "The founding patriarch was so formidable—why create an Art of Heartlessness? Though I am no cultivator, from what I know, there are many powerful water-attribute and ice-attribute arts, are there not? Sister Bingtang cultivates a formidable art too, yet it does not hinder marriage... only, before receiving the inheritance, one may not lose one's chastity..."
"Alas!" Elder Zhang sighed. "That must begin with a legend... Though it is not recorded in detail in the Snow Valley's journals, according to what the elders of every generation have passed down by word of mouth, there lies within it a poignant love story..."
"A love story?" Tang Zhi was surprised. She had not expected that the founding patriarch, a heartless person, should have had a love affair.
"Indeed. Since you are about to become a disciple of the Snow Valley—and the future Grand Elder—there is no harm in your knowing these things, for the elders of every generation know them!" Elder Zhang did not hold back, but said directly: "You should know that our Snow Valley and the Ice Palace belong to the same lineage. The Snow Valley cultivates a mist-attribute art derived from the water attribute; the Ice Palace cultivates an ice-attribute art derived from the water attribute. The founding patriarchs of these two sects were in fact a pair of sworn sisters..."
"Ah!" At Elder Zhang's words, Tang Zhi and the others all widened their eyes. They had never imagined that the Snow Valley and the Ice Palace shared such a connection!
"Though they were sworn sisters and on most intimate terms, they fell in love with the same man—and so a happy thing turned into a bitter one..." Elder Zhang smiled bitterly. "Thus the Ice Palace and the Snow Valley share a common origin, supporting each other yet also vying and suppressing each other. That is the situation the two founding patriarchs created in those years..."
"Then they could both have married that man—one as the senior wife, one as the junior wife, and everything would have been just fine! So silly!" said Shen Yushu.